More retailers than ever say that customer experience metrics are critical to their supply chain operations

More than half of retailers consider customer experience data either crucial to measuring performance or in every decision surrounding their supply chain

According to eyefortransport’s new D3 2019 report, more than half of retailers consider customer experience data either crucial to measuring performance or in every decision surrounding their supply chain. The rise from the yearly survey featured in the report means that 53.5% of respondents consider customer experience data key. The largest jump was in the most integrated category, which was those companies that incorporate customer experience data into all their decisions, where there was a 5% rise.

The data suggests that retailers are deeply incorporating the customer experience into their distribution planning and metrics and responding to an increasingly e-commerce-based environment. Customer experience should remain front of mind and needs to be incorporated into the mindset of those involved in shipping goods as well as those dealing directly with the customers. The so-called ‘Amazon-effect’ demonstrates that convenience, shipping cost and speed are critical to consumers choice of online shopping alongside pure price-point considerations. Brands therefore need to ask themselves about how they can compete in this environment and hopefully differentiate themselves.

However, companies need more support in back-end systems and data gathering and analytics. Although there is growing recognition that the customer experience needs to be acknowledged and considered across the supply chain, no retailer in the survey felt that the systems they currently have in place fully support their efforts to improve the customer experience. Instead, 72.1% of retail and manufacturing respondents felt that existing systems are not useful at all or only help with measuring some indicators.

Clearly, there will be more investment into supporting systems to measure and improve the customer in 2019, such as the Internet of Things and customer feedback mechanisms, alongside greater analytical capabilities.